Mike Dean reacts to Everton controversy v Manchester City live on air

Mike Dean has backed Simon Hooper's decision to award a penalty to Manchester City during a 1-1 draw against Everton on Thursday.

Savinho was taken down inside the Toffees' penalty area by Vitaliy Mykolenko, with the referee pointing straight to the penalty spot, and Dean was in no doubt that the correct decision had been made.

Luckily for Sean Dyche, Jordan Pickford stepped up to be the hero in between the sticks, saving Erling Haaland's spot-kick before the striker's follow-up was ruled out for offside on 26 December.

Speaking live via Sky Sports [26 December, 1:38pm], Dean said: "If you want an easy penalty decision to be made, that's easy. It's absolutely stonewall."

Vitaliy Mykolenko a luck boy after Everton v Manchester City incident

Mykolenko can have absolutely no issues with the decision, and many will argue that he should have been given his second yellow card of the game, but he was spared his blushes.

The Toffees' shot-stopper worked his magic in between the posts to deny an out-of-form Haaland, who continues to be frustrated in front of goal.

Pickford started the season in rocky form, much like the defenders in front of him, but Dyche's side have looked far more comfortable behind the ball in recent weeks and deserved a slice of good fortune.

While the Toffees could not secure another clean sheet, to join the ones against Chelsea and Arsenal, it was an incredibly hard-fought battle at the Etihad, one the players can be extremely proud of.

The odds were stacked high against the Blues, even despite Man City's woeful form in all competitions, and Dyche is quickly proving that he can be the man to lead this side away from the relegation zone.

In other Everton news, one of Sean Dyche's stars was dubbed "top-class" after what he did against Manchester City.

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